Design-in-use Principles

“Design-in-use” involves a high degree of creativity that in the best sense of the word makes a user unpredictable. Design-in-use requires an underdetermined approach to the user that does not exclusively define use of the artifact. Through design decisions of material choices, flexible structures, support for sharing, and simplicity, a space can be created for users to evolve new uses not conceived of by the designers. The creativity of the user establishes the foundation (not the challenge) for interaction design; unpredictability is reframed as a positive attribute of the user rather than an obstacle to “proper use.”

Design artifacts become resources for further creativity as an outcome of design-in-use. Artifacts will be used in ways that transcend their intended use. The simplest of products, which can easily be reused, work well in everyday design. This principle asks that professional designers design artifacts so they are open to and even invite uses that were not included in the original design. For example, in the digital-artifact equivalent of paper, rather than consider it a medium that supports written text and drawings, designers can design toward an action space that invites rolling, folding, marking, ripping, making holes, gluing together, etc. Electronic products in particular require greater and simpler actionable attributes in order to be redesigned, rather than the current proliferation of highly targeted “features” designed to address predetermined needs.

Design-in-use qualities emerge over time. Design artifacts exist in an evolutionary and complex environment. The value and use of artifacts change over time as they are combined into systems with other artifacts, renewed through discovery of new uses, or as situations or needs change. Recognizing that qualities emerge over time requires us to consider more than just the explicit usefulness of an artifact, that is, to include more passive usefulness and unintended uses. Designers might consider identifying states and transitions of artifacts in order to better understand this process.

priated design artifacts like the top of the fridge together with other horizontal surfaces for new uses. The intent for the “microwaveless shelf” is to store dish towels, mail, or notes. During this particular session it was stuffed full of items—from a maple sugar house to dental floss to a can of wood stain (see Figure 1). The top of the fridge was a place to keep other valued things, like a wicker box full of important papers. Other items saved for one reason or another include a 20-year-old Sony Walkman that Beck plans to sell one day on eBay, a lottery ticket redeemable for $8, and a clock. The remaining items are on top of the fridge to keep them out of reach of the children: a steel mixing bowl that had become a noisemaker (especially during our visits!) and a small guitar over which the boys fought.

The issue at hand during our visit was the migratory items, like the breast pump or sailing gear, that, much to Beck and Kerry’s chagrin, found their way on top of the fridge, adding

to the ever growing, unmanageable pile. The everyday designers in Beck and Kerry discussed how ideally, transitory objects on their way in or out of the house would be temporarily placed on the third surface, the small table in the hallway. However, some objects are better kept on top of the fridge, away from the children, like the sailing gear. Moreover, the hallway that leads to the front door had become what we refer to as a “crash pad,” the resting point for innumerable things making their “landing” upon entry in the house—Beck’s bass guitar and case, toys, strollers, jackets with backpacks still attached to them, and other items unceremoniously dumped upon arrival at home. The small table stood barely accessible among all the debris.

Acting on their intentions for the spaces, Beck had recently cleaned the top of the fridge to see what really needed to be kept there and what space could be freed up (see Figure 2), hence his query about the breast pump. Kerry later went through the objects on

September + October 2009

• Figure 1. Kerry and Beck’s “ microwaveless shelf” overflowing with items.

• Figure 2. The top of the fridge after being organized and cleaned by Beck.

• Figure 3. The redesigned “ microwaveless shelf”; a picture and frame are displayed to prevent piles of meaningless objects from forming.

• Figure 4. The overlooked appropriation of a chair to hang a jacket.